Football: St Mirren and Ross County veto league plans

Plans to restructure Scottish football were dealt a hammer blow on Monday after St Mirren and Ross County vetoed the proposals at a Scottish Premier League meeting.

The plans would have seen the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League merge to form three leagues with a 12-12-18 structure.

The most controversial aspect of the scheme was for the top two leagues to split into three after 22 games in a bid to generate extra revenue, which would have been split more equitably with current First Division clubs.

But the idea needed a 11-1 majority from a vote of Scottish Premier League clubs before being put to the Scottish Football League.

St Mirren confirmed last week that they were going to vote against the deal, which was agreed in principle in January, and the Scottish Football Association later said Ross County's decision to follow suit had scuppered the plan.

"One club in particular you would need to ask just exactly what their agenda is St Mirren," Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne said.

"What was on the table for everyone to consider today was back the plan, an opportunity to move Scottish football forward.

"The offer of changing the reconstruction rules was rejected by the two clubs, which no one can see the logic behind."

SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said he was more disappointed for clubs outside the top flight following the failure to secure change.

"I'm extremely disappointed for Scottish football as a whole but I'm particularly disappointed for the First Division clubs," he said

"They were really relying on this vote today, relying on the SPL clubs allowing a redistribution of income that would have enabled clubs in the First Division to sustain full-time professional football in an environment where it's so difficult at the moment.

"That redistribution of money, the single league, the pyramid structure, play offs -- all of those benefits that have now been denied us by this vote."